Did you know?
Mount psychology faculty have a vast array of research interests and are some of the best in their fields.
Dr. Angie Birt, for example, is exploring aspects of human memory, in particular the effects of emotion on memory. Her work takes her regularly into the forensic psychology realm as well.
Other faculty are studying gaming and gambling behaviours; development of attention across the lifespan and individuals with attention deficit disorder; the associations between meteorology (i.e. weather) and children’s emotions and behaviours; to name just a few.
Mount faculty also encourage students in their own research pursuits, with many students designing and conducting original studies during their undergraduate years.
Mount student researchers in psychology have recently delved into topics like the effect of emotion on insight; jurors’ personalities and criminal convictions; lie detection through instant messaging; and predicting motivations to drink alcohol, just to name a few.
Meet some of the Mount’s psychology faculty making a big research impact.
Dr. Derek Fisher
Dr. Fisher’s research is focused on brain activity in psychiatric disorders, primarily psychosis and schizophrenia. He’s exploring how changes in brain activity after onset of psychosis could be used as a predictor of when psychosis might occur – work that stands to improve the quality of life for patients and reduce the burden of the disease on their families, friends and caregivers.
Dr. Fisher explains (click image to play video):
Of note: In 2015, Dr. Fisher received the Young Investigator Award from the EEG & Clinical Neuroscience Society. Read more about this international honour.
Dr. Dan Seguin
Dr. Seguin is a developmental psychology researcher studying parenting. In particular, he’s exploring meta-emotion philosophy, or how parents’ understanding of their own and their children’s emotions may be related to their children’s emotions and outcomes, like social and academic well-being. As Dr. Seguin says, “There remain so many aspects of parenting that we know little about.”
Dr. Seguin explains (click image to play video):
Dr. Will Shead
Dr. Shead is exploring the factors that influence the development and maintenance of gambling behaviours, specifically underlying cognitive mechanisms. One of his current areas of research focus is delayed discounting, or devaluing of rewards delayed in time, and its connect to impulsivity.
Dr. Shead explains (click image to play video):
